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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Reconstitution of Actin-Based Motility with Commercially Available Proteins
Published on: October 28, 2022
New mechanisms and functions of actin nucleation
Elif Nur Firat-Karalar1, Matthew D Welch
1Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Abstract:
In cells the de novo nucleation of actin filaments from monomers requires actin-nucleating proteins. These fall into three main families--the Arp2/3 complex and its nucleation promoting factors (NPFs), formins, and tandem-monomer-binding nucleators. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanism of actin nucleation by both well-characterized and newly identified nucleators, and explore current insights into their cellular functions in membrane trafficking, cell migration and division. The mechanisms and functions of actin nucleators are proving to be more complex than previously considered, with extensive cooperation and overlap in their cellular roles.
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